3-27: Samsung aims to reform its internal culture; AMOLED production costs is USD14.3; Apple in 2017 will release a new iPhone with glass casing and an AMOLED display; etc.

Samsung aims to reform its internal culture, execute as quickly as a startup company; Samsung to build a USD300 million research and development centre in the capital Hanoi; AMOLED production cost is USD14.3, lower than LCD which is USD14.6; Apple in 2017 will release a new iPhone with glass casing and an AMOLED display; Hon Hai to reduce acquisition cost of Sharp; Samsung to announce its own IoT OS soon; etc.

Display

IHS Technology claims that production costs of AMOLED and LCD panels in 1Q16 have gone down to USD14.3 and USD14.6, respectively, based on the cost for a 5” FHD smartphone. Prices have fallen from USD17.1 (AMOLED) and USD15.7 (LCD) in 4Q15. (CN Beta, Phone Arena, ET News)

ihs-production-cost-lcd-amoled-1q16

According to Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities, Apple in 2017 will release a new iPhone with glass casing and an AMOLED display. (Phone Arena, 9to5Mac, IT Home)
Foxconn is reportedly set to offer JPY100 billion (about USD884.4 million) for newly issued Sharp shares, down from an original JPY489 billion. (Apple Insider, Engadget, Reuters, IT Home)

Biometrics

ABI Research forecasts the global biometrics market will reach more than USD30 billion by 2021, marking an impressive 118% increase from 2015. Consumer electronics, particularly smartphones, continue to boost the biometrics market, with embedded fingerprint sensors anticipated to reach two billion shipments by 2021 at a 40% CAGR. (EE Times, ABI Research, press, OfWeek)

Connectivity

University of Illinois researchers report that they’ve set a record for fiber data transmission, delivering 57Gbps of error-free data. (Engadget, Univ. of Illinois, Tencent)
DARPA has launched a new Grand Challenge that will have teams develop artificial intelligence-powered radios that cooperate with each other to avoid wireless congestion. (EngadgetDARPA, CNFOL, WEIOT)

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Smartphones

Google announces 2016 Android Experiments I/O challenge. (Engadget, Android Experiments, Android Police, YeSky)

google-android-experiments

Samsung aims to reform its internal culture, execute as quickly as a startup company and push towards open communication and continuously innovate. Executives also signed an agreement to remake the corporate culture. (Engadget, Reuters, Korea Times, Tencent)
Samsung Electronics has been given the green light by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to build a USD300 million research and development centre in the capital Hanoi. (CN Beta, Times of India, BGR)
U.S. Apple iPhone users spent an average of USD35 on apps during 2015, according to research by Sensor Tower. Of that amount, USD25, or 71%, was spent on games. (Venture Beat, CN Beta)
OPPO is able to sell more than 180,000 R9 and R9 Plus smartphones in just one day in China. (Gizmo China, GSM Arena, YeSky, IT Home)

Tablets

It is no secret the tablet business has slowed down overall except in places where there is productivity, says Gary Riding, a senior vice president for mobile computing marketing at Samsung. (“Productivity”, in this case, being jargon for work as opposed to play). (CN Beta, ABC News, Economic Times, India Times)

Wearables

Nevo Smartwatch is announced – compatible with iOS and Android, a real mechanical watch with smartwatch features like notification alerts, as well as activity tracking features, priced at USD299.99. (BGR, CN Beta)

nevo-smartwatch

Internet of Things

Google is reportedly building its own voice-controlled “personal assistant device” to compete with Amazon Echo. (Engadget, The Information, Tencent)
Samsung has confirmed that its new operating system for the Internet of Things going to be announced next month at the Samsung Developer Conference. (Ubergzimo, PC World, 163)
Development of wearables is rapid, and recently car manufacturers application that works with wearables attract attention, including Ford, Hyundai, Nissan and Benz, they are working to build an application that enables their cars to interact with wearable devices, for safer and more convenient driving experience. (TechNews)
Funding to private robotics companies doubled in 2015 to reach a record high of USD587 million, according to CB Insights. (Washington Post, Vator, CB Insights, blog, CN Beta)

cbinsights-2011-2015-robotics-yearly-financing

Xiaomi unveils the 2nd generation Xiaoyi Smart Camera,  which can capture a FHD video at 25fps, 130º wide angle f/2.0 aperture lens, CMOS from Panasonic, S2LM image processing chip, ‘Human Detection’ feature. (Android Headlines, IT 168, 163, Huanqiu)

xiaoyi-2

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